Pick 36

Good news everybody! The NBA draft is officially this week! Here at From Russia with Dunk, we’ve focused all of our efforts on the Nets’s first round pick, and basically ignored everything that occurs after pick number 30. However, we are basketball historians, and we are aware that there have been A TON of second round picks that have had great careers in the NBA (Gilbert Arenas, Carlos Boozer, Dennis Rodman, Manu Ginobili, and Monta Ellis all come to mind). With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the players the Nets could take in the second round.

Nikola Mirotic PF Montenegro

Good: Just finished a solid season for Real Madrid, Has good height for his position (6-10), Good jump shot, Plays with confidence, 20 years old.

Bad: Foreign player (could have trouble adjusting to NBA game/could be some time before he comes to America), Average defensive rebounder, Question marks surrounding his passing and three pointing shooting, Not a great back to the basket player, 20 years old.

Travis Leslie SF/SG Georgia

Good: Dude is an absolutely insane athlete (seriously, watch this guy posterize Demarcus Cousins), very good at getting to the rim, great at transition offense, has the athletic ability to be a good defender, becoming a better passer, very good rebounder.

Bad: He’s a SF trapped in a SG body (he’s only 6-4), lots of questions about his shooting ability, limited offensive game, needs some more experience.

Norris Cole PG Cleveland State

Good: True point guard, has improved every year in college, good transition player, solid three point shooter, intelligent defender, good work ethic.

Bad: Average athlete, projects to be more of a finesse player than an attacking player, average height, unproven against top tier competition.

Chandler Parsons SF Florida

Good: Good size for a SF (6-10), improving shooter, very good rebounder, good passer, smart player, versatile

Bad: Average defender, average athlete, very bad from the FT line, not aggressive offensively.

Malcolm Lee PG/SG UCLA

Good: Very quick, has improved as a shooter,  above average athlete, good ball handler, recent succes of UCLA guards factors in his favor.

Bad: Not a ton of PG experience, more of a SG, poor decision maker, turnover prone.

Jordan Williams PF/C Maryland

Good:Lost a ton of weight between end of college season and draft day, very good back to the basket player, runs the floor well, very very good hands, improved with each season, went to Maryland (sigh).

Bad: Small for a center, not a very good shooter, very bad from the free throw line, probably not 6-10, facing the basket game isn’t great, quit on his team down the stretch. (Ok. The last one was personal opinion)

A few possible names for the Nets in the second round. I’ll probably write one more post about the second round before the draft. Should be a fun one.